Cats were used upon Ships on voyages of discovery during the 15th/16th Century to control rodent population and disease. A ship crashed off the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom and the cats on board the ship swam to the shore. This created one of the first known pedigree breeds, the Manx. When Christopher Columbus discovered America cats from the Ship were left in the country and flourished. The breed today known as the American Shorthair is thought to have originated from the British Shorthair which was believed to be used on those ships.